OUR  FOREIGN  FIELDS 


PHILIPPINES 


BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF 
THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

NOVEMBER,  1911 


£ 


THE  ISLANDS  AND  THEIR  PEOPLE 

The  Philippines  lie  directly  north  of  Aus- 
tralia, and  the  northwestern  extremity  of  the 
northernmost  island  is  only  about  450  miles  from 
the  China  coast.  Thus  these  islands  are  close  to 
China,  although  in  its  beginnings  Methodist 
work  in  the  Philippines  was  a part  of  the  Malay- 
sia Conference  and  therefore  has  been  associated 
with  Southern  Asia  Methodism. 

More  than  2,500  large  and  small  islands  are 
included  in  the  Philippine  Archipelago.  The 
largest  of  these  is  Luzon,  upon  which  all  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Mission  work  is  located. 
Luzon  contains  about  44,400  square  miles,  or 
about  1 ,000  square  miles  less  than  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  More  than  half  of  the  island  is 
Methodist  territory.  In  this  territory  it  is  esti- 
mated that  Methodism  is  responsible  for  about 
3,000,000  people.  The  greater  number  of 
these  are  the  so-called  Christianized  portion  of 
the  inhabitants  called  Filipinos,  who  speak  many 
different  dialects.  There  are  in  addition  smaller 
non-Christian  tribes,  living  largely  in  the  moun- 
tainous regions.  There  are  30,000  Chinese  in 
Manila  and  also  colonies  of  Chinese  in  most  of 
the  other  cities  and  larger  towns  of  Luzon. 

The  rising  generation  of  Filipinos  offers  ele- 
ments of  great  promise.  Bishop  Oldham  says 
that  among  them  “we  may  anticipate  a more 
rapid  economic  progress  than  is  to  be  found 
anywhere  in  Asia  within  the  tropics.”  Schools 
were  opened  by  the  United  States  government 
in  October,  1901,  and  there  is  now  a total  en- 
rollment of  more  than  600,000  students.  A 
staff  of  American  teachers  numbering  1 ,000  has 
been  maintained  through  the  decade  and  over 
5,000  Filipino  youth  are  now  regularly  em- 
ployed as  teachers.  The  dignity  of  labor  is  be- 


ing taught  by  courses  of  manual  training  in  all 
the  schools.  The  Government  University  at 
Manila  has  an  enrollment  of  over  1 ,200  stu- 
dents. 

A GREAT  OPPORTUNITY 

Our  government  is  making  here  one  of  the 
great  experiments  of  modern  times,  the  outcome 
of  which  the  whole  world  is  watching.  To 
show  to  China  and  Japan  a nation  of  Filipinos 
civilized  but  not  Christianized  will  belittle  Chris- 
tianity in  the  Orient.  Bishop  Oldham  has  said  : 
“If  we  fail  here  we  will  be  sorely  hindered  in 
our  religious  influence  in  all  Asia.  And  yet  how 
slow  the  church  is  to  see  how  this  little  Mission 
is  the  crux  of  our  whole  work  in  Eastern  Asia.” 

English  will  become  the  official  language  of 
the  Philippines  in  I 9 1 3.  In  all  the  schools  that 
have  been  established  by  the  American  govern- 
ment in  every  part  of  the  islands,  the  instruction 
is  entirely  in  English.  More  Filipinos  speak 
English  today  than  ever  spoke  Spanish  at  any 
one  time  during  the  300  years  of  Spanish  occu- 
pation. The  missionary  will  find  a growing  need 
for  his  services  in  the  English  tongue. 

Many  of  the  young  Filipinos  are  rapidly  drift- 
ing into  infidelity.  Yet  in  the  minds  of  some  of 
these  who  have  rejected  the  Roman  Catholic  re- 
ligion there  exists  a real  soul  hunger  which  makes 
them  receptive  to  the  gospel  message.  In  the 
splendid  system  of  American  schools  established 
throughout  the  islands  the  teachers  are  forbidden 
by  law  to  give  any  religious  instruction  to  the 
more  than  600,000  pupils  enrolled.  It  is  the 
task  of  the  missionaries  to  fix  the  religious  bent 
of  this  vast  army. 


THE  MARCH  OF  METHODISM 

During  the  twelve  years  since  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  entered  the  islands  its  numbers 
there  have  grown  by  leaps  and  bounds  to  the 
present  membership  of  more  than  32,000.  There 
is  an  Annual  Conference  of  48  members,  includ- 
ing 18  missionaries  and  30  Filipino  preachers; 
there  are  about  400  other  Filipino  helpers.  Be- 
sides the  many  churches  conducted  by  these 
Christian  workers,  the  Methodist  institutions  in 
the  islands  include  a theological  school,  a dea- 
coness training  school,  a publishing  house,  and  a 
hospital. 

Methodism  has  the  largest  Protestant  Church 
for  Filipinos  in  the  islands — the  Knox  Memorial 
Church  in  Manila,  seating  1,500  people  and 
valued  at  $40,000.  To  the  Filipino,  accus- 
tomed to  a religion  represented  by  great  cathe- 
drals and  massive  church  structures,  churches 
like  this  one  and  like  our  Central  Church  (for 
Americans),  valued  at  $20,000,  testify  to  the 
solidity  and  permanence  of  Methodism  in  the 
Philippines. 

The  Methodist  Publishing  House,  located  in 
the  heart  of  the  business  section  of  Manila,  sends 
out  tracts  and  booklets  printed  in  six  languages 
and  amounting  to  millions  of  pages  annually.  It 
prints  the  International  Sunday  School  lessons 
in  four  languages,  Tagalog,  Pampanga,  Ilocano, 
and  Pangasinan.  It  prints  literature  for  four 
other  denominations,  for  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety, and  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 

The  defection  from  Methodism  which  took 
place  under  the  leadership  of  Nicholas  Zamora 
early  in  1 909,  has  resulted  in  a fiasco.  It  has 
meant  no  lasting  injury  to  Methodism  there — 
only  to  many  of  its  followers  who  have  now 
drifted  away  from  all  religion.  It  has  proved 
to  Filipino  Methodists  that  the  presence  and 


i 


leadership  of  Americans  in  the  native  church  is 
for  the  present  necessary.  There  has  been  a 
marked  improvement  in  the  spiritual  condition  of 
the  churches  since  the  defection. 

An  incident  illustrating  the  increasing  strength 
and  importance  of  Methodism  in  the  Philippines 
was  the  great  Methodist  street  procession  held  in 
Mexico.  Pampanga  Province,  at  the  time  of  the 
Annual  Conference  session  there  in  March, 
1911.  More  than  a thousand  persons  partici- 
pated, representatives  coming  from  Methodist 
churches  for  miles  around.  The  mayor  of  the 
city  was  the  director  of  the  procession. 

Nowhere  have  investments  in  Methodist  na- 
tive preachers  brought  greater  returns  than  in  the 
Philippines.  A native  preacher  on  a salary  of 
12  pesos  ($6)  per  month,  during  the  year  1910 
to  1911  created  a new  circuit  on  which  were 
five  new  congregations,  making  a total  of  fifteen 
preaching  places  under  his  care;  he  also  reported 
eight  new  chapels  built  or  building  and  1 40  new 
members  received.  Another  received  an  appoint- 
ment in  a new  place  without  any  promise  of 
support  from  the  mission  other  than  the  payment 
of  his  railway  fare  to  the  circuit  and  something 
tor  his  clothes;  in  six  months  he  reported  seventy- 
one  new  members  and  two  chapels  building. 

THE  PRESSING  NEEDS 

More  missionaries  are  needed.  Every  mission- 
ary faces  a task  many  times  too  big  for  his 
strength.  A doubling  of  the  force  at  once  would 
in  all  probability  bring  the  membership  up  to 
100.000  in  the  next  decade. 

Substantial  churches  are  needed.  The  Fili- 
pinos accustomed  to  the  beautiful  cathedrals  and 
to  all  the  glamor  and  display  of  Catholicism  do 
not  understand  what  we  have  to  offer  them  in 
our  little  and  insignificant  chapels,  ofttimes  with 
dirt  doors,  mouldy  walls,  and  leaky  roofs. 


Scholarships  for  the  Florence  B.  Nicholson 
Bible  Seminary  are  needed.  Here  are  being 
trained  the  future  leaders  of  Filipino  Methodism. 
Congregations  that  have  sprung  up  in  all  parts 
of  the  held  are  crying  for  preachers. 

More  Methodist  dormitories  should  be  estab- 
lished in  various  educational  centers,  where  young 
men  attending  the  government  institutions  may  be 
surrounded  by  the  religious  influences  which  are 
absolutely  lacking  in  the  colleges  themselves. 
Such  a dormitory  is  now  under  construction  in 
Manila,  and  funds  are  needed  for  this  building. 

There  is  need  of  a hospital  for  the  Central  and 
Northern  Districts.  There  is  only  one  Methodist 
Hospital  in  the  islands — that  of  the  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  in  Manila.  The  fact 
that  fifty  or  sixty  per  cent  of  children  born  in  the 
Philippines  do  not  reach  the  age  of  one  year  is 
one  indication  of  the  dire  need  for  medical  work. 

A Christian  college  should  be  established  in 
Manila  in  connection  with  the  Florence  B.  Nich- 
olson Bible  Seminary.  Thirty  acres  of  land  have 
already  been  secured  as  a site  for  such  a schooL 

GOOD  INVESTMENTS 

$75  will  support  a theological  student  one  year. 
$75  will  make  possible  the  support  of  a Filipino 
preacher. 

$ 1 00  will  make  possible  the  publication  of  much 
needed  books. 

$100  will  make  possible  the  erection  of  a rural 
chapel. 

$250  will  make  possible  the  erection  of  a village 
church. 

$1,000  will  make  possible  the  erection  of  a 
church  in  a town. 

Send  the  money  to  the  Missionary  Secretaries 
1 50  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


